Muni posters' goal: Decrease phone, tablet thefts

If they glance up from their smart phones for a few seconds, Muni riders may notice something new on their buses and rail cars: dramatic posters urging them to glance up from their smart phones.

The Municipal Transportation Agency and the San Francisco Police Department unveiled the posters Tuesday as part of a campaign to increase awareness of smart-phone and technology thefts on the transit system and help people hold onto their pricey devices. More than 2,000 of the posters have been plastered around the system.

Crime on Muni is down 30 percent over last year, said Muni spokesman Paul Rose, but larceny - a category that includes thefts of smart phones, iPads and iPods - is up 20 percent.

The two new ads each feature an inattentive Muni rider using a high-tech device - one in a surprisingly dark Metro car, the other in a dim Metro station.

In the first ad, the woman in the Metro car is leaning toward the aisle, staring down at the iPhone she's holding loosely and dangling over the aisle. She seems unaware of the shadowy figure in a hooded sweatshirt and combat boots looming ominously nearby. "Be smart with your Smartphone," the ad cautions.

The second poster shows a headphone-wearing man on a Muni Metro platform, his back to the nearby escalator, his eyes focused on an iPad and a train in the background. He seems unaware of the three black-clad, hoodie-wearing characters sneaking up on him with unsavory intentions. "Thieves know an opportunity when they see it," warns the poster.

Muni and police officials advise passengers to be aware of their surroundings, not allow their attention to be drawn away from their property, not use standard white iPhone earphones, use security measures such as passwords and call 911 or notify Muni personnel if they see a theft in progress.

Theft victims should not resist, they advise, but should make note of the suspect's description and report the incident immediately.

"If people are vigilant about looking around and are cognizant of the chance someone could take their device, it will reduce the number of thefts," Rose said.

The complex is being built by the Chinatown Community Development Center and other groups at the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Franklin Street, formerly the site of a Central Freeway off-ramp and now a parking lot. It will have 100 units for low-income seniors, including 20 for homeless seniors.

The grant was just one of 731 totaling $201 million for new local homeless programs around the nation - including for emergency shelter, transitional housing and supportive services.

Previously, the Obama administration gave $1.47 billion to existing local homeless programs.

"Today's grantees will join the tens of thousands of local programs that are on the front lines of helping those who might otherwise be living on our streets," Donovan said in a statement. "It's incredible that as we work to recover from the greatest economic decline since the Great Depression, the total number of homeless Americans is declining, in large part because of these funds."

"There is a popular misconception that the foreclosure crisis has made San Francisco a more affordable place to live, but renters are not out of the woods," said Peggy Lee, acting director of the association.

The typical rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,905 a month, according to the study. In order to keep housing costs a manageable percentage of income, a worker would need to earn $36.63 an hour, or $76,000 a year, to afford a two-bedroom place.

"A San Francisco pre-school teacher who earns a typical salary of $37,000 a year and is the sole breadwinner would need to hold down another job to afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment or commute from far away," Lee said.